It's a pity the IEC sockets are not more positive. They never feel reliable to me, always kind of cheap vinyl imprecise or sloppy. Some professionals say they do not hold well and don't like them.
For domestic use they are a tidy solution but does any one have a recommended connector with better feel? I plan to use a separate circuit breaker so the fuse and switch are not required.
Best wishes
David
I guess I like the IEC's because they are neat, can do 10A and importantly you can get cables that plug into them anywhere. I do agree some of te cheaper ones can be crappy i use Schurter. That said, I did look at some of the Neutrik stuff. Very nice indeed (their recessed phono and XLR chassis mount sockets are fantastic).
For speaker sockets I like the WBT style. However, the genuine article is a bit pricey, so I used a Taiwan copy. The quality is good and they are very solid.
For speaker sockets I like the WBT style. However, the genuine article is a bit pricey, so I used a Taiwan copy. The quality is good and they are very solid.
you are trying to ...milk a mosquito ... all fast on style connectors except excellent quality and really tight with relatively thick pins are secured wit silicon( not the plastic the real glass silicon )
all terminal screws except military spec with washer and grove already constructed on the contact also secured with sealant green style .
on the contrary soldering is more alive and the chemical composition can be effected by heat vibration high current and high frequency current tight screws suffer from none of these issues .That is why most of equipment exposed to thermal stress suffers from dry soldering .
Still though every method will have pros and cons ....To my understanding you may choose either but ""work it"" in the best possible way to get the most out of it
Kind regards
Transformers should never buzz or hum. If they do, the quality is clearly below par. DC on the mains is the only allowance for buzzing, an then there are also techniques to fix this kind of problem.
Yes, the Neutrik powercon were what I had in mind. Wanted to see what other people recommended before I biassed the discussion. I already use Neutrik speakercons so looks like powercons are the winners.
Thanks for the input.
Best wishes
David
That is true. This seems to be more prevalent in pro amps. I've a few that buzz or hum. It is not attributed to DC riding on the Mains as I tested them with a Mains DC Blocker. With some of them, the intensity of the hum increases as the amp pumps out more power.
I modified the way the transformers are mounted in my Crowns in an attempt to reduce the buzz. It worked a little bit.
here is my ""closing " argument
Just finished repairing the amp all damages inside were repaired ,tuning was done according to manufacturer's specs ( quite time consuming job ) meanwhile and upon costumer's request 4 caps of 15.000/100 where replaced with 4 of 22.000/100 other than that the amp is mammy as we say in Greece .
Yeap i am going to spent a few days with him and obviously lisen things that i do know very well in a set up i also know very well ..with speakers and sources that i also know inside out ..
first impression in 15 minutes or so with a preheat of one hour ( which is very important as dear friend uncle Charly says )
---power is massive and plenty no way can be tested next to a 60W amplifier like my P3A obviously this is excluded form the tests ...
---At low listening levels and while the amp is biased at factory level obviously you get some few watts in class A the transfer point is not that obvious as is in the P3A the amp is not the same sweet as the P3A in a low listening level ....Obviously the P3A with the power increased will eventually start to get dirty while the Perreaux starts dirty and remains dirty .
--The High is kinda harsh not that tubish like the P3A at least in low level .... while the P3A start to get dirty with increasing the power the Perreaux will preserve his qualities in high or very high listening levels
--Details like sound stage , order , presence are in perfect order , amplifier sounds extremely linear and i think that has a better presence or better middle than the P3a but this is just a click
--As about the bandwidth next to the P3A i think that it is a bit limited both sides high and low One may understand that the specific character in the high obviously for the Perreaux is mosfet behavior while in the P3A 2SA1302-3281 behavior
-- For the bass i am quite used to my amplifier that has extremely low lowend but one has to think how risky this might be ( to have that low end ) in an amplifier of 350 W so obviously there is a compromise between low end and power for the Perreaux.
At the end and while i am thrilled with the construction i cant say that the sound blow my ears ...The above is also related to that i don't like mosfets for class AB amplifiers and also support previous comments that big amplifers to be able to produce power will loose some of the sound quality ...
Finally i enjoyed very much a very live thread ...it is always so nice to have a civilized argument in the forum .
Thank you all people so much !!!!
Kind regards
Sakis
Just finished repairing the amp all damages inside were repaired ,tuning was done according to manufacturer's specs ( quite time consuming job ) meanwhile and upon costumer's request 4 caps of 15.000/100 where replaced with 4 of 22.000/100 other than that the amp is mammy as we say in Greece .
Yeap i am going to spent a few days with him and obviously lisen things that i do know very well in a set up i also know very well ..with speakers and sources that i also know inside out ..
first impression in 15 minutes or so with a preheat of one hour ( which is very important as dear friend uncle Charly says )
---power is massive and plenty no way can be tested next to a 60W amplifier like my P3A obviously this is excluded form the tests ...
---At low listening levels and while the amp is biased at factory level obviously you get some few watts in class A the transfer point is not that obvious as is in the P3A the amp is not the same sweet as the P3A in a low listening level ....Obviously the P3A with the power increased will eventually start to get dirty while the Perreaux starts dirty and remains dirty .
--The High is kinda harsh not that tubish like the P3A at least in low level .... while the P3A start to get dirty with increasing the power the Perreaux will preserve his qualities in high or very high listening levels
--Details like sound stage , order , presence are in perfect order , amplifier sounds extremely linear and i think that has a better presence or better middle than the P3a but this is just a click
--As about the bandwidth next to the P3A i think that it is a bit limited both sides high and low One may understand that the specific character in the high obviously for the Perreaux is mosfet behavior while in the P3A 2SA1302-3281 behavior
-- For the bass i am quite used to my amplifier that has extremely low lowend but one has to think how risky this might be ( to have that low end ) in an amplifier of 350 W so obviously there is a compromise between low end and power for the Perreaux.
At the end and while i am thrilled with the construction i cant say that the sound blow my ears ...The above is also related to that i don't like mosfets for class AB amplifiers and also support previous comments that big amplifers to be able to produce power will loose some of the sound quality ...
Finally i enjoyed very much a very live thread ...it is always so nice to have a civilized argument in the forum .
Thank you all people so much !!!!
Kind regards
Sakis
Last edited:
Thank you Sakis.
Here is a reply to Andrews question about transformer noise. Have a look at post #23 here: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/solid-state/39895-transformer-making-noise-how-cure-3.html
and here: Dealing with hum in Counterpoint Gear
Here is a reply to Andrews question about transformer noise. Have a look at post #23 here: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/solid-state/39895-transformer-making-noise-how-cure-3.html
and here: Dealing with hum in Counterpoint Gear
I think the buzz and hum are probably due to laminations. I have no issues with my custom wound EI transformers. The varnish is vacuum impregnated. Completely silent even at full load.
I suppose for some pro amp manufacturers, transformer hum is acceptable. Afterall, with a live band, transformer hum and exhaust fan noise will be drowned by the music anyway.
^operating the traffo way below the knee of the magnetization curve alleviates humming issues, but this is done at design stage.....in case of completed traffos, all you can do is dip the traffo into tub full of polyurethane varnish....do this several times till you get rid of the core humming issue...
I would be very unimpressed with a buzzing transformer. I can understand the rationale of course. The amp is in a rack, and fed from a source many meters away, and drives speakers at the end of a long cable, maybe on a disco dance floor. In that case, a bit of buzzing and humming will go unnoticed. But for a Hi fi amp, this is not acceptable. You only need to vacuum impregnate the transformer and that usually sorts it out. Maybe $2 to $3?
Noisy transformers have no place in hi-fi. This is but one example where pro amps differ from hi-fi. I do not believe they are incapable of manufacturing better transformers. For a manufacturer, cost is critical. If they can shave off a cent, they will. It's a cut-throat market.
I once spoke to a major pro-amp manufacturer. When I asked them why they are still using outdated bipolar power transistors in their amps, they were very frank in their reply. Main issue is cost. Their customers won't accept higher cost. And since they have more than 50% of the market, losing 5% is a big deal. It's business.
I once spoke to a major pro-amp manufacturer. When I asked them why they are still using outdated bipolar power transistors in their amps, they were very frank in their reply. Main issue is cost. Their customers won't accept higher cost. And since they have more than 50% of the market, losing 5% is a big deal. It's business.
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